Environmental Trends 2002

Surface Water Use

Effect of Metering on Per Capita Domestic Water Use for 1999

SOURCE: Environment Canada Municipal Water Use Database (MUD) 2001. NOTES: This graph shows the average volume of water consumed by the population with water meters (price by volume) versus the volume of water consumed by the population that pays a flat rate for water use (unmetered).

Effect of metering on water use

• In 1999, total domestic water use by Britich Columbians that pay a flat rate (76% of the province) was 524 litres/person. This was 15% more water per day than was used by those who paid based on volume (455 litres/person).
• For all of Canada, flat-rate users consumed 70% more water (457 litres/person/ day) than metered users (269 litres/person/day).
• The minimal impact of water metering in British Columbia compared to the rest of Canada may be due to metered rates being among the lowest in the country.
• Canadian water prices are among the world’s lowest, averaging about half the prices in most developed countries.

For detailed information, including graph data, see In-Depth report [pdf].